Data communication is a fundamental part of computing. Networks transport information all over the world and connect a huge number of computers. In particular those networks which are based on the Internet protocol (IP) are developing fast. IP based networks use a number of different IP routing protocols, including routing information protocol (RIP; cf. request for comments (RFC) 1058), open shortest path first (OSPF; cf. RFC 1583), Intermediate System-to-Intermediate System (IS-IS; cf. ISO 10589), Distance-Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP; cf. RFC 1075), and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP; cf. 1771), to determine how packets ought to be routed. Among these protocols, OSPF and BGP are Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) recommended standards that have been extensively deployed and exercised in many networks.
There is a large demand for networks, systems and protocols that would combine asynchronous transfer mode schemes with IP routing protocols. Because of its inherent complexity, ATM is at the moment mainly employed for high performance, high capacity communication, and in particular for real-time services.